Mortar joint simulator tool



July 19, 1960 R. o. BILLINGS MORTAR JOINT SIMULATOR TOOL Filed Aug. 8, 1957 MORTAR JOINT SIMULATOR TooL Roy 0. Billings, Box 2611, Milwaukee 14, Wis.

' Filed Aug. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 677,081

ljClaim. (Cl. 1s-2ss.3

This invention relates to improvements in tools for straightening and finishing simulated mortar lines on building walls.

More specifically, the present invention pertains to a device which includes a handle or grip and a runner, and is adapted to be manually propelled along simulated mortar line grooves on building walls to straighten, clean and finish the same.

One of the major problems attendant with creating brick-like efliects on building walls is that the simulated mortar lines are often uneven, biased or otherwise imperfectly formed. The general practice has been to use a trowel, or other tool similarly constructed for other purposes, to straighten and align the several mortar line grooves after they have been formed on a wall. The straightening operation with such a tool is necessarily dependent upon the variable perception and judgment of the human operator and is too often inaccurate and unsatisfactory. In addition to requiring considerable skill and experience, this customary method is tedious and time-consuming.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved straightening tool of the class described wherein the tool includes spirit level-indicators to guide both horizontal and vertical movement, and thereby assure absolutely straight simulated mortar lines with a minimum of time and effort.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved mortar line straightening tool wherein spirit levels, of the bubble type, are inset, one in the top face of the front portion of the runner to indicate variation of the tool out of vertical position, and another in a side face of the runner to indicate deviations from the horizontal. The position of the level indicators in the runner, together with the novel shape and contour of the handle, is such that the bubbles may be easily seen and followed by the operator. The two levels, positioned in different faces of the straightening tool as they are, provide means for aligning the tool whether it is being used horizontally or vertically. When a bubble indicator is in its centered position the tool is necessarily in a proper operative position. A person using the tool may easily watch either indicator as the tool is being propelledv across a wall, and movement of a bubble from its centered position will immediately indicate a deviation of the tool from the proper position. I

Aligned vertical mortar lines, such as are present when simulating piled brick, may be accurately straightened and aligned with the present invention, the spirit level in the top face of the runner serving to guide the operator in a proper course.

A further object is to provide a tool for straightening and finishing simulated mortar lines on building walls, the construction of the tool being such that it is longer than the conventional brick, the straightening and finishing of the lines bordering one simulated brick thereby necessarily straightening and aligning the adjacent lines United States Patent bordering adjacent bricks and assuring the perfect alignment of all bricks in a row.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tool for cleaning and finishing simulated mortar line grooves, the runner, or cleaning portion of the tool, being tion consists of the improved straightening and finishing tool, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

'In the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. l is a top elevational view of the straightening and finishing tool in horizontal operative position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top elevational view of the tool in vertical operative position;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the tool; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the straightening and finishing tool, taken along the line .4--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the device comprises a handle 10 formed of wood, metal or other suitable material, and a runner 11 having a transverse enlargement 12 with a recess 12' in its top face for receiving a tubular, transparent spirit level indicator 13 having a level indicating bubble 13. There is alsoa longitudinal recess .14 formed in a protrusion 30 in one of the sides for receiving another similar spirit levelindicator 15, having an indicating bubble 15. The length of said runner is somewhat greater than the length of a conventional brick.

The position of the spirit levels 13 and 15, in the runner 11, is one of the important features of the present invention, as they are so located as to be always visible to the operator as the tool is being propelled across a building wall. The angled slope of the front portion 10 of the handle 10, as best appears in Fig. 3, is also important, as it permits vision of the spirit level 13 Without obstruction from the handle or hand of the operator.

The runner is approximately A of an inch thick at its center, or the approximate width of the conventional mortar line groove, and is slightly narrower at the ends to permit its smooth and facile movement in the grooves. The ends are curved upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 to permit the easy and unobstructed insertion of the runner in the grooves.

In practice, the runner is inserted into a recentlyformed simulated mortar line groove, before the groove has firmly set, and manually propelled in said groove along a wall surface. The operator of the tool may watch either spirit level-indicator to assure the trueness of position of the tool, the perfect positioning of the runner in the groove tending to straighten and align the still-tractable groove. The runner also cleans the grooves of loose particles or foreign material, and produces a finished simulated mortar line.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claim.

What I claim is:

A tool for straightening and finishing simulated mortar line grooves on building walls comprising: a skate-like runner having top, bottom and side portions, said runner having its ends curved upwardly to permit its facile insertion and movement in the grooves; a rearwardly projecting handle mounted directly above said runner and forming the sole gripping member, said .handle having a. forwardly anddownwardly'angled front portion joining thesame to said runner at a location spaced rearwardly from. the front end of the runner and forwardly of a midpoint in the length of said runner; a longitudinally extending protrusion on one side of said runner having a longitudinal recess; a spirit level-indicator mounted in said recess of the side protrusion; a transversely extending enlargement in the top portion of said runner forwardly of said handle front portion and projecting laterally from each side of said skate-like runner and having a recess which extends transversely of the runner; and a spirit level-indicator transverse to the first-mentioned spirit level-indicatormounted in said last recess, the mountings of both spirit level-indicators and the angled nature of the handle front portion making both level-indicators visible to a person holding the tool in operative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 150,715 King Aug. 24, 1948 870,098 Hartshorn Nov. 5, 1907 1,292,969 Sturgis Jan. 28, 1919 1,490,220 Lawrence e Apr. 15, 1924 1,664,701 ONeal Apr. 3, 1928 1,715,569 Rathjen' June 4, 1929 2,450,385 Schumock' Sept. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,736 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1884 20,899 Great Britain ..of 1902 269,806 Germany May 117, 1913 

